“Everybody Wants The Fight”: Hearn Optimistic About Stevenson Vs. Zepeda Summer Fight

WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, says he’s been in negotiations with Golden Boy Promotions to set up a fight with interim champ William Zepeda next for the summer. Hearn is optimistic that he can reach a deal, saying, “Everybody wants the fight.”

Eyeing “Tank”

Hearn says the plan is for Stevenson to get the Zepeda clash, “then deal with Tank.” That’s the fight that Hearn has been eyeing since he signed Shakur to his Matchroom company in August 2024. Indeed, some believe that is the sole reason why Hearn signed him: the money the Gervonta Davis fight would bring in. It would be a cash-out.

Eddie hasn’t said his plans for Stevenson if he fails to get the Tank fight. Hearn will likely try and entice Ryan Garcia or Devin Haney to fight him, which will be near-impossible.

There are rumors that Shakur (23-0, 11 KOs) will price himself out after the money that he thought he would get from the Saudis for the Zepeda (33-0, 27 KOs) is no longer there. It’s believed that he thought this would be a career-high payday, but it’s not.

Zepeda isn’t going to accept a lowball offer for this fight because he doesn’t need Shakiur to get well-paying fights. He’s a must-see fighter that the networks love. For Shakur to get the kind of dough that he thought he was going to get from the Saudis, he would need to give Zepeda a lowball offer.

Stevenson complained on social media, saying that he’s now being offered less than what he got for his defense against Josh Padley. Zepeda is a risky fight for Shakur, so he has a lot to lose if he gets beaten and winds up with just a small sum.

“Everybody Wants It”

“So, now negotiations have been ordered by the WBC for Shakur to fight [interim lightweight champion William] Zepeda. We’ve been speaking to Eric Gomez, Oscar De La Hoya, and the team at Golden Boy. Everybody wants the fight,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to DAZN Boxing about a fight between WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson and interim champ William Zepeda.

“It’s the perfect fight for everybody. We’ll see if we can reach a deal with DAZN and make a big fight in the summer schedule. It’s a tremendous fight between two fantastic fighters. We believe Shakur Stevenson is the best lightweight in the world, and I think a fight with someone like Zepeda can really show that off..Get that fight done, and then deal with Tank,” said Hearn.